Schrödinger's Cat
by ScoreCounter
Summary: If only one person could see you for the rest of your unlife, who would it be? A series of moments in the life of Apollo Justice, and the post-death of Clay Terran. As in, both simutaneously...
1. Intro

_**Schrödinger's Cat  
Introductions – Sort of.**_

 **Clay Terran. Young man, died in a failed space mission attempt. However, somehow, he ended up… in a strange situation. It was three days after the final successful mission. One story ends – and something different occurs.**  
 **If only one person could see you for the rest of your un-life, who would it be?**

Apollo was still within the deep tides of sleep, the darkness of mentally induced haze weighing him down. The final remnants of images fled from his mind, some nightmares, some fond memories, many different faces, none that he knew absent.  
…*ping*…*ping*…  
It was distant, but audible. A quiet siren, designed to remove that burdening weight. Slowly, but surely, the weight lifted, the surroundings starting to familiarise themselves with his skin… cushions, covers, mattress… and yet, there was still a heavy weight holding him down… unfamiliar, in fact. But, as sleep does, Apollo's mind was still addled.  
"Damn…"  
His right arm was completely slacked… he must have fallen asleep on it in the middle of the night… or something. Slowly, he shifted his body backwards, hoping to remove the pressure – and restore the blood – to his arm.  
…*ping*…*ping*…  
Trust me; it's annoying when that happens. Alarm blaring, and you can't do anything about it, due to just… awkward sleeping patterns. And since you probably only got into that position from sleeping out late… yeah, rather awkward. Well, at least he could move his elbow now. After a few tugs to try and raise the arm higher, he decided to give up for a few seconds.

So, next thing. Eyes. Most of the weight of dreams was cast away now, so surely it should be possible to open them a little bi –

-Oh. Not what he was expecting. Rather than the edge of the bed in his usual apartment, he saw… cream. Just… cream. As in the colour, not as in the aerated sweet substance often used to garnish puddings, now that really would be disturbing. Actually, on further inspection, was that more or less disturbing than… err… skin?  
… Nope… he definitely had his clothes on. Suit and all, actually, must have been a long night yester-

"What the hell!"

…Thank you for interrupting my narration, Apollo. Nonetheless, Apollo definitely showed his disturbance, flailing his arms, including the one that was previously numb, at the unknown assailant.  
…And awkwardness level up again, naked figure on the floor…  
…Male naked figure on the floor.  
… Yep, Apollo definitely had his clothes on. And he sure as hell wasn't hung over; alcohol wasn't his style, give or take the odd exception. As such, now that he had either the rudest or nicest awakening, all depending on your tendencies, he quickly averted his head (displaying his opinion, at least, in the aforementioned issue).  
"Ugh… Huh?!"  
Out of instinct, Apollo turned his head to the sound from the floor…  
"What."  
The body on the floor turned his head up towards the other sound.  
"…What!"  
"What."

Okay, boys, we get the point. At least it's more believable than the Titanic crashing through the wall. Well, a replica of, anyway.  
"Why the heck am I naked? Wait no, what…?"  
… *ping*…*ping*…  
"*Sigh*" An exacerbated, red sleeved hand slammed his hand down on a receiver.  
And then rubbed at his eyes.  
…Well, brewing the coffee was no longer an issue, at least.  
"…Clay?"  
Said figure, which was now curled up into a defensive position, looked furtively up at Apollo, almost as if he had regressed to childhood, before averting his eyes to the floor. "But… I remember…"  
Apollo touched his fingers to his neck. "…I still have a pulse…"  
"Yeah, yeah, very funny…"  
"…Yeah, slightly insensitive…"  
All of a sudden, a face poked itself around the corner. "…Hey, Apollo… Was that your noise just now?" Ah, that was right… the Wrights were staying with him, weren't they…  
 _It was two nights ago. Poor Trucy, bless her, was trying out one of her new tricks. Somehow, two of the boxes involved ended up scratching against each other… and I mean really scratching. Ended up setting the things alight, and one thing lead to another, and whilst not too much stuff was damaged, you know, small things here and there, and put out easily enough, and it'd all be okay if it weren't for the gas pipe melting. Yeah, yeah, a bit… strange, to say the least, but it's not like strange twists of coincidence before. Hey, maybe it was the universe correcting a long-standing perversion of luck.  
…Unless Phoenix was immortal when he fell of that bridge…  
…Well, at this point in this morning, anything's possible._

Apollo scratched the back of his head, blushing. "Err… You heard that?"  
He looked down towards the mysterious collection of flesh adoring his floor. Clay was jabbing a thumb in Phoenix's direction, confused look on his face. 'What did I miss? He's with you now?' Mouthed, obviously.  
"You made a bit of a clatter… Hey…" Apollo's head snapped back up. "You okay?"  
"Y-Yeah… Just a bit…"  
"Tired?"  
"Must be…" His voice grated tiredly.  
"I'll leave you to it… Trucy's gonna be setting this place on fire soon enough!"  
"Don't. You. Dare." Apollo was hissing now.  
Phoenix sniggered into his bedclothes… oh, nope; he was still in his normal clothes as well. Ah, there was a long case last night, wasn't there?  
None the less, Phoenix was gone now. So, Apollo decided on a plan of action.  
Namely, punching Clay.  
A) He deserved it.  
B) If he was insane, or hallucinating, or Clay was a ghost, he would fall straight through.  
"Hey! What's that for- oof!"  
Unfortunately, Apollo's plan worked a bit… too well. Leaning off a bed to hit someone sitting on the floor? Very bad idea. Apollo's face was suddenly resting in front of Clay's.  
And then, Clay started laughing. Just laughing at the absurdness of it all. Last thing he remembered, he was lying on the floor of the Space Centre, next thing he knew, he was naked in Apollo's bedroom, with said man now positioned precariously over him.  
…Ugh, get your minds out of the gutter, people.  
Apollo was quickly following suit in the laughter, though, albeit closer to a quiet snicker.  
"Err, 'Pollo?"  
Both were still laughing. "What?" Clay quickly glanced down, before simply staring at Apollo, smirking. Apollo quickly rolled himself away, causing Clay to laugh even harder.  
"Why, I didn't know you were interested… I'm sorta flattered."  
"Shut up, Clay." Said other person, who had now rolled back into the foetal position, was barely getting his laughing back under control.  
"So… unless you want to stare at me all day, can you give me somethin' to wear?"  
A flash of guilt fled across Apollo's face. "I… sorta kept your clothes, Clay. They needed to go somewhere, and I-"  
"Hey! Don't guilt trip yourself like that! It doesn't suit you!"  
"Clay, I kinda… used your clothes as an excuse to stay away from everyone."  
A confused look.  
"It's… a long story."  
"Well… I'm still naked… Are we gonna make out, or are you gonna get me something to wear?"  
Apollo sighed, quickly standing up to move towards the wardrobe.  
"Or both, I'm cool with that!"  
"Clay! Is it just me, or did your death make you more silly?"  
"Probably? I don't know… Maybe it's to do with blood loss…"  
Apollo carefully withdrew the clothes from the closet, including some boxers – they'd already had THAT conversation.

"…Clay, can I turn around without feeling embarrassed yet?"  
All of a sudden, a full sized man was suddenly bearing down on him in a full embrace. "See! I can do this without feeling awkward now!"  
"Clay…" As annoyed as Apollo's voice was, he was… almost touched by the sign. Slowly, he moved his arms to reciprocate the… err… hug, making Clay laugh slightly, before moving his chin into Clay's shoulder.  
"Aw… you are such a sap, 'Pollo…" And, just like the somewhat hypocrite Clay was… is, he moved his head towards the floor.

They remained like that, enjoying life, or whichever semblance of it, embracing on the floor.  
Clay was the first to move. "Come on. Didn't your husband say he was brewing coffee?"  
Apollo was bewildered for a second, before the penny dropped. "Hey! I resent that! Trucy set their apartment on fire, okay!"  
"Relax, you know I was kidding!"  
"Ugh… You have a point though. Come downstairs when you're ready, will ya?"  
"Whatever you say, 'Pollo."

"Hey, Phoenix? My coffee machine done being a fire hazard yet?"  
"Just about. I grabbed some of the toast and jam, if that was okay?"  
"Humph. I expect a raise."  
Phoenix chuckled. "I suppose I can consider it."  
The quick conversation between Boss and employee/partner was brought to a quick and peaceful quietus, leaving Apollo to sort his breakfast out.  
"So, Trucy ran out?"  
"Yeah?! I've got to send her out to school sometimes, yanno?"  
"Wow, you're being a responsible parent?! I'm shocked!"  
"Heh… Yanno, you're not doing good on that pay rise."  
Apollo didn't know how to best that, so he just glared at the older man.  
"Although, I might give you a chance to insulate this place a little."  
"…Hang on, what?"  
"The wind just blew that door open!"  
Apollo looked around towards said door…

There was Clay, just as confused as he was.

As said, rewriting something else I wrote almost entirely. Hope you enjoy this little series!


	2. Mix & Match

_**Schrödinger's Cat  
**_ ** _Mix and Match_**

Apollo tries to hang out with his best friend, as strange as that may be, but he keeps getting interrupted by the least co-operative family that he knows.

 _First : "I thought I told you to get the shopping?"_

"Now that's just not fair, Polly!"  
"How is it? You suddenly turn around, ask to crash at my house, at no cost, might I add, and then expect me to feed you as well?"  
Trucy tinted red slightly. "Well… er… Hm-hm?!" Apollo's face tired at the affirmative sound.  
"Trucy… please, take your father, and get the shopping…" He hesitated a second, before tacking on a "… please." Trucy just looked at him as seemingly frustrated as she was a second ago.  
"But why do I have to go?"  
"I'm **sure** boss will find it a good bonding experience."  
"But he never does the shopping!"  
Apollo just smiled mischievously. "Exactly! It'll be a learning experience for both of you, now please, Trucy…"  
"But why do I have to go?"  
Apollo groaned and harshly applied the palm of his hand to his forehead. "You've never heard of housework, have you?"  
"So?"  
Apollo sighed with an air of finality. "Trucy… I'm not saying it again… please… help your father with the shopping."

Knowing that she'd lost, she turned around and walked out of the door. Not all that mopedly and/or depressingly, oddly. Doubtlessly Wright had put her up to this. As if he hadn't got enough of his misdemeanours in the workplace. And he was his boss, for goodness sake…

"I never knew you were into lying, Apollo." There his… friend(?) was, apparently already used to just hanging around like he had never died in the first place. Not to mention the whole "Randal & Hopkirk"-ness of him only apparently being visible to Apollo.  
"I didn't lie. I never said I was going to do the housework."  
"Blimey Apollo, you're getting trickier with your language every day."  
"I'm a lawyer, what were you expecting?"  
"Sor-ry. I'm just making a point."  
"Yeah, as if I needed any **more** proof it's you." Apollo looked pensive for a second, then walked towards Clay.  
"Huh?" Apollo gently pressed his fingers into Clay's chest, right where the wound should be.  
"Argh…" Clay's breath drew short, and he drew in short, sharp breaths.  
"Sorry!"  
Clay caught his breath. "…Do that again…"

Unsure of himself, Apollo pressed against that point again, slightly more forcefully this time.  
Clay's breath drew much shorter, and he closed his eyes, screwing them tightly.  
"How does it feel?"  
"Strange – like, painful, but… like it's a good thing it's there?"  
"Hmm… I never understood you before, but I have even less idea now."  
"Maybe I just like my heart being touched!" Clay was flat-out grinning.  
"Jeez… when did you become such a romantic?"  
"I'm an astronaut, what were you expecting?"  
Apollo's face turned weary, but he was still smiling. "Damnit, Clay…"  
As the two started chuckling, they were cut off by the door opening.  
"Huh… they shouldn't be back yet…" He raised his voice. "Trucy, I thought I told you to get the shopping?"  
"Daddy asked me what colour roses he should get for Edgeworth?"  
Apollo whispered quickly. "Which one's the friends one again?"  
"Yellow."  
"He should be alright with yellow, Truce."  
Clay waited for the door shut before asking Apollo his question.  
"Your boss isn't just friends with the Chief, is he?"  
"Nope." He's smirking.  
"Wow. Apollo, you troll."

 _Second: "Not in my house, damnit!"_

"Ugh. It's like having three kids."  
"Three kids?" Phoenix looked on, concerned and somewhat amused.  
"…See? You two are so damn tiring it's making me lose count of all the bodies in here."  
Catching the joke, Clay almost fell to the floor from the sudden burst of laughter. "'Pollo… Seriously..." Whilst he had the convenience of turning around towards Clay so he could look exacerbated, he made a pointed glare at the other boy.

"Hey, why don't you show us that magic trick you've been practicing?"  
Apollo spun around faster than Bayonetta during one of her dance routines. "No."  
"I'm not one to be a spoilsport, but I agree with you."  
"Aw... why not, 'Polly…?"  
"Why do you think? The last time you practiced –"  
"That was an accident!" Both Wrights in tandem.  
"You set your house on fire!"  
"C'mon, law of averages means it won't happen again!"  
"You actually believe that?"  
"I'm sure that."

"I'm sorry boss, but listen here – I spent the best part of my college life floundering in debt, and swapping between hostel and student accommodation, and that was after spending the first eighteen tears of my life in an orphanage of all places, then when I finally land myself a job I end up working under a psychopath, and if that wasn't bad enough, you practically force me into this, not to mention making me a pawn in your petty revenge plot, and to make it worse, you still don't at all ensure that I can even try to pay of the damn mortgage on this house, which, by the way, I'm sure short-term loans have better interest rates, and I only manage to eventually pay it off because my mother shows up! So no, as much as I like my sister, she is **not** performing a magic trick that could burn the whole block down! Not in my house, damnit!"

All three other faces in the room looked shocked by that three sentence rant.  
Well, momentarily anyway. Phoenix's face slowly turned into a slightly wicked grin, as he simply noted – "Maybe I should pay you more if you can rant that much about how bad someone's life is…"  
Apollo grunted discontently. "Damnit, boss…"  
Trucy jumped up. "So is that a yes?"  
Apollo put his head in his hands, as he barely managed to force out the words "Hell. No.".

 _Third: "And you weren't helping!"_

Apollo slumped in his chair when the troublemakers (two of them, anyway), finally left back to their proper residence. Clay was still there (so it wasn't some sort of acid trip, at least), and even he looked tired, boundless ball of energy that he was, and that was when he was _alive._  
"Okay, now I understand why you hate your job…"  
"I don't hate my job, I hate my boss…"  
"Same thing, isn't it?"  
"Just because you have a fanboy crush on Mister Starbuck does not mean all workplaces work that way…"  
Clay spluttered. "I… I don't have a crush! And even if I did, so did you!"  
"Okay, two things. One, pretty much every law student had a fanboy crush on Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright, with the exception of those who focused too much on the whole debacle of forgery. Two, then I met the guy."  
"I'm sure he was much more pleasant back then, 'Pollo."  
"I'm sorry, when did we venture from Lawyers and Space to Lawyers and Time Travel?"  
"… Fair point. Still, it wasn't that bad, was it?"  
"… Yeah, except for the fact that they almost burned the place down, twice, made no contribution to keep this place tidy, even you have better manners than that, they had no respect for me actually needing sleep, and I'm so sorry you had to sleep rough, and then there was the fact that Phoenix has a go at me for him friendzoning the Chief Prosecutor, well hoist him by his own petard, and then you weren't helping!"  
"Huh? What'd I do?"  
Apollo looked over to him, tired look awash over him. "…Damnit, I didn't mean to snap at you there. I just mean, I'd rather you have come sooner, you know? Your timing was awful…"  
"Ah, all forgiven."  
"I hear an if coming here."  
"If you insist, there is no way I'm sleeping in the same beads that they slept in!"  
"…You know there's only three beds, right?"  
"…Oh."  
"Well, two beds and a futon I imported once."  
"Well… I'll take the sofa, that'll do."  
Apollo laughed. "You really don't want to use the same beds, do you?"  
"Well, sleeping in a bed a girl's been sleeping in is weird, and I really don't want to be itching from stubble all night…"  
Apollo laughed again, louder. "... Let's go Clay…"  
Clay jumped up. "Allons-y!" Then his face fell into confusion. "Wait, where?"  
"We've shared a bed before, right? C'mon, I don't mind."  
"You sure it ain't awkward?"  
"It's only awkward if you think it is…"  
Clay had never thought of it before.  
"…Well, as long as I'm not naked this time, I guess…"  
"…Okay."  
"Okay."  
As they headed off to get washed up, not to mention getting the house washed up, only one thing needed to be said.  
"Trust you to make a Doctor Who reference."


End file.
